What is the problem with most patients for the partial knee replacement ?
Most patients who seek surgical management have arthritis that is too advanced for the minimally invasive partial knee replacement procedure. Because surgical treatment is considered a ‘last-resort’ by most patients, by the time surgery is necessary, their arthritis is too advanced to consider this minimally invasive procedure. If partial knee replacement is done in a patient who is a poor candidate, failure rates can be high, and conversion to a traditional total knee surgery may be more difficult. Arthritic knee joints may be repaired either partially or totally – known as partial knee replacement and total knee replacement. A partial knee replacement is also called unicompartmental or “UNI”. If the bone disease is restricted to the inner side of the knee (the ‘medial’ side), the surgeon will simply reshape those damaged surfaces. The repaired surfaces on that one side of the knee are then partially covered with a combination of metal and plastic bearings. For this reason, a UNI knee
